Upbeat O’Neill excited by ‘great occasion for Dundalk’
Daire Walsh
The Republic of Ireland manager was speaking at the launch of the Euro 2020 logo for Dublin, where he touched upon his side’s qualification hopes
They may be facing an AZ Alkmaar side that are currently experiencing a good run of form, but Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill believes Dundalk are capable of producing another memorable result in the Europa League this evening.
With just two points to their name, Eredivisie outfit AZ are desperate to secure a win in Tallaght against Stephen Kenny’s hosts, and the Ireland boss feels this could play into Dundalk’s hands.
“They [Alkmaar] have had a decent little run. They’ve been unbeaten in, I think it’s four, five, six matches now. It’s a tough match. [Alkmaar] have to win the game themselves,” said O’Neill, who confirmed that he and his assistant Roy Keane will attend the game.
“They’ve only got two points on the board, Alkmaar, so it might not be too bad for Dundalk in that sense knowing that they have to go for it. It’s a great occasion for Dundalk, it’s fantastic and they deserve this chance to try to go through.”
O’Neill was in the CHQ Building on Dublin’s North Wall Quay for the launch of the city’s hosting of four games at UEFA Euro 2020. However, although he is delighted that Ireland will be playing a significant role in the staging of the next European Championship, his focus is on the current World Cup qualifying campaign.
With 10 points from their opening four games, the Boys in Green are currently in pole position in Group D, and O’Neill can sense a confidence amongst his squad.
“Naturally, we’ve played three matches away from home and taken 10 points on the board, which is great, but 2017 will decide everything. I would have said that regardless of the result in Vienna,” O’Neill said.
“The great thing about it is, regardless of who we have available in March, we’ll go into the game with some confidence. If the players are confident, they can give their very best, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Indeed, the impressive victory over Austria has helped Ireland to climb 10 places in the FIFA world ranking to 23rd – their highest position since 2011.
While O’Neill admits that he is sometimes skeptical about the nature of the rankings, he acknowledged that it can be important when it comes to seeding for the various international competitions.
The former Celtic boss added: “It’s good news. You can be a bit skeptical about all these things, but it’s nice and I suppose some sort of testament to the side that we’re doing alright, forging ahead. I think all those things are always important.
“When I came into the job a few years ago, I obviously wasn’t aware completely about the friendly matches taking place, and I never thought really that that should count. But at least we’re doing it at a competitive level and that is very pleasing.”
FAI Chief Executive John Delaney was also in attendance for the prestigious launch, and he explained some of the benefits that the Republic of Ireland would enjoy if they were to qualify for the Euro 2020 tournament.
“If we qualify for Euro 2020, we’re guaranteed to have two of our three home games here,” explained Delaney. “That will be special for the supporters, who have gone from Kazakhstan to Korea, wherever they’ve been following the Irish team.
“They will get the opportunity to follow the team here in Dublin. Were we to qualify, yes, two of our home games will be in the Aviva.
“The Ryder Cup was great, the Special Olympics was great. These are four different games obviously. I think, for the moment, it probably would be the biggest sporting event [to be hosted in Ireland] over four matches. But if the Rugby World Cup comes in 2023, and please God it will, that would be even bigger again.”